Chapter 42: A Long-Awaited Campus Life

At 4 PM, a modest-looking yet luxuriously appointed executive sedan glided smoothly along the elevated highway leading into the Near-Sea District of Deep Blue Metropolis.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Kalolin, ease up—please, ease up!" Tian Dao groaned from the backseat, his ear being ruthlessly yanked by the scowling Kalolin.

Ahead of them, Chen Xing sat with his right hand propped against his chin, his eyes distant and unfocused as he stared blankly out the window—lost in thought.

Beside him, Chen Kong sat quietly, stealing occasional glances at the driver’s seat where the Coral Knight · Wolf was at the wheel. His curiosity was obvious.

In the passenger seat, Yun Meng watched Tian Dao’s desperate, pleading glances in the rearview mirror, and finally couldn’t bear it anymore.

"Alright, Kalolin, let him go," she said gently. "If you keep pulling like that, you’ll rip his ear off."

Hearing Yun Meng’s words, Kalolin reluctantly released her grip, though her expression remained sour—still furious at Tian Dao’s earlier deception.

Instantly, Tian Dao exhaled as if reborn. He glanced sideways at Kalolin, who had turned her head away, deliberately ignoring him.

Smart enough not to provoke her, he patted Chen Kong’s shoulder with feigned casualness.

"Hey, Empty, that last three-shot combo was pretty interesting. How exactly did you manage to weave your 'Void Pattern' into the bullets?"

Everyone knew Tian Dao was deliberately changing the subject—avoiding the awkward aftermath of his earlier prank.

Yet, as expected, the entire cabin leaned in.

Because honestly? They were all genuinely curious.

After all, up until today, they’d all regarded Chen Kong as nothing more than a liability.

And yet, here he was—having pulled off something astonishing during the test.

And beyond the car, the audience watching through the Dimensional Screen were just as baffled.

Because if they remembered correctly, Chen Kong’s Star Energy Nullification ability was supposed to activate only through direct contact.

So how was it now attaching to bullets?

Seeing all eyes on him, the naturally shy Chen Kong fumbled through his explanation, stammering nervously as he revealed the truth.

It all started with Chen Xing’s Stellar Core—Xueyan.

Xueyan’s power worked by burning blood—his own or the enemy’s—as fuel to generate intense, scorching flames.

That very principle had sparked an idea in Chen Kong’s mind.

What if my own blood could serve as a medium to trigger my 'Void Pattern'?

If that were possible, he’d be able to activate both his 'Void Pattern' and 'The Dreamer' simultaneously.

Driven by the idea, he’d even approached Doctor with his theory.

But the results weren’t what he’d hoped.

Doctor’s research revealed that the Void Pattern wasn’t just a power—it was a highly contagious, attributeless form of Star Energy.

Any Star Path it came into contact with—regardless of its original structure—would be fundamentally overwritten, stripped of its energy, and reduced back to raw, neutral state.

True, there was a limit: a 100-point Void Pattern could only nullify up to 300 points of Star Energy.

But even so, the sheer dominance and invasive nature of the Void Pattern was undeniable.

In essence, the relationship between Star Path and Star Energy mirrored that of spells and mana in a magical world.

So the Void Pattern could be seen as a monstrous, hyper-aggressive form of attributeless Star Energy—a kind of cosmic cancer.

But that raised a critical problem.

Yes, Chen Kong’s blood could temporarily hold a fragment of the Void Pattern.

But in the Star World, where Star Energy saturated every breath of air, the Void Pattern didn’t just affect Star Envoy-crafted Star Paths.

It was also vulnerable to interaction with unbound, ambient Star Energy—of all types—floating in the atmosphere.

So despite Doctor’s breakthrough in crafting a method to embed the Void Pattern into bullets…

It came with three extremely strict conditions:

Condition One: The bullet casing had to be made from a rare, specially treated material. Due to the Void Pattern’s overwhelming assimilation effect, only a few exotic substances could resist it long enough to be usable—making production incredibly difficult.

Condition Two: The Void Pattern bullet only remained active for a maximum of ten minutes. After that, it reverted to a regular bullet.

Condition Three: The effective range was capped at just ten meters. The bullet’s high velocity accelerated the internal interaction between the Void Pattern and external Star Energy, drastically increasing the assimilation rate. The denser the ambient Star Energy in the environment, the shorter the effective range became.

Despite these harsh limitations…

Doctor still regarded the Void Pattern bullet as a game-changer.

Especially when paired with Chen Kong’s naturally low presence—his invisibility on the battlefield.

In combat, this could mean the difference between a surprise kill and a near-miss.

Like in his fight against the Coral Knight.

The Knight, so confident in his Stellar Source – Sea Thorn Coral, only barely dodged in time after sensing the shield’s unnatural tremor.

Had he not reacted, he wouldn’t have died—but he’d have suffered serious injury, at the very least.

Because the stronger the Star Envoy, the more they trusted their Stellar Source.

And that made Chen Kong’s Void Pattern the ultimate counter.

A true cheat-level ability—perfect for underdog victories and first-kill ambushes.

> "So the Void Pattern’s basically Star Energy’s cancer cell? I thought it was some kind of rule-level power!"

>

> "Wait—thinking about this, I kind of see why Chen Kong became the protagonist of the Stars. You think he’ll eventually go full-on and neutralize all Star Energy across the world for world peace?"

>

> "Whoa, are we seeing a prophecy? Should we start taking photos now?"

>

> "Hold up—no, seriously, that’s not impossible. It actually fits."

>

> "No, wait—if he does that, he’s basically declaring war on every Star Envoy on Earth. How’s he gonna pass Lao Tian’s gate? You think our Lao Tian would just let that happen?"

>

> "Damn… now that you mention it, Lao Tian’s starting to look like the villain. That’s kinda scary."

>

> "Lao Tian as the villain? If that’s true, I’d prefer he wins. Honestly, who’s more charismatic—Lao Tian or Lao Kong?"

Inside the car, Tian Dao stared at the live stream comments on the Dimensional Screen, his expression flickering with surprise.

He hadn’t expected the viewers—just by observing the mechanics of the Void Pattern—to already be piecing together the core arc of The Stars.

And yes…

The future was heading exactly that way.

And just like the audience suspected…

Tian Dao was planning to oppose Chen Kong.

Not for fame, not because of the Popularity System.

Even without it, he couldn’t stand the idea of a world without Stellar Sources.

He’d seen what such a world looked like.

He knew that utopias built on pure idealism never survived reality.

Chen Kong wanted to build a dreamlike utopia.

But Tian Dao knew—such a dream was already a fantasy.

Unreal. Impossible.

In that sense, the central conflict between Chen Kong and the others wasn’t just about power or talent.

It was a philosophical divide.

But none of that had even begun to surface yet.

Not in this prequel.

Only in the second season—The Stars · Faint Light—would the tensions with the other 35 Star Prodigies begin to rise… and spiral.

"Alright, everyone," said Coral Knight · Wolf as he pulled the car into a private driveway, stopping before a grand, opulent standalone villa in the Deep Blue Metropolis Near-Sea District. "We’re here."

He turned off the engine. "This will be your temporary base for the next while."

Tian Dao was the first to step out, eyes wide as he gazed at the mansion.

"Uncle," he said, squinting at the sprawling estate, "this place isn’t your house, is it? Did your billionaire boss buy it just for us?"

Coral Knight · Wolf paused, then replied, "Not specifically for you. This entire neighborhood belongs to my master, Dorian. I just… selected one villa from the lot."

"Wait—what?" Tian Dao adjusted his sunglasses, staring in disbelief at the sea of luxurious homes surrounding them.

Others had estates by the house.

But Dorian? He owned entire districts.

This was what real wealth looked like.

And it was incredibly envy-inducing.

"Alright, everyone," the knight continued. "Details about my master, Dorian, will be shared later—when you meet him tonight.

For now, please follow me."

"Because if you want to enroll at Trelan Junior High, you’ll need authentic, believable identities."

"And nothing’s more believable than being exchange students."

Guided by the knight, the group entered the villa.

And there it was—stacks of pristine uniforms, handed by a line of elegant maids.

Alongside official exchange student certificates.

Tian Dao let out a soft, wistful sigh.

Long-awaited campus life…

It’s starting again.

PS: Daily requests for follows and monthly votes!

Recommendation: Check out Reincarnation: My Sister Can’t Speak by a friend!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end